Windsor Mills Bridge, Ashtabula County

Above: Two bridges in Ashtabula County.

A covered festival
Ashtabula County holds an annual Covered Bridge Festival at the county fairgrounds in Jefferson. At this year’s 25th anniversary festival Oct. 11 and 12, 2008 festival-goers can enjoy van tours of the 16 covered bridges, crafts, a quilt show, a farmers’ market, a draft horse pull, antique engines, cars and tractors, a parade, children’s activities, contests, souvenirs and food. Cost is $4; van tours are an additional $10 per person. Visit www.coveredbridgefestival.org for all the details.

Henry Bridge, Washington County

Treacle Bridge

uncovering ohio’s covered bridges

story by Emily Masters
photos by Bill Miller


Imagine being one of the early settlers entering into Ohio Territory. It’s the year 1800, and the land is full of potential. Beautiful creeks and streams are abundant and are appealing for the water they provide. The land is viable, and the soil is rich. Agriculture -which equals life- is attainable.

However, before these pioneers decided to put down roots, there were two considerations.

“There had to be a nearby (grain) mill or an opportunity for one,” said Ohio Historian, Miriam Wood. Chances were, if there was a mill, there was also an opportunity to trade commodities.

Also, “There had to be a way to get to the mill or into town,” Wood said. “Bridges were a necessity and better yet, covered bridges.”

Twenty-nine years later, Ohio would get its first covered bridge in Preble County. The Roberts Bridge in Eaton still stands today as the oldest and the only two-lane covered bridge in the state.

Ohio has 141 covered bridges, earning it second place in the nation behind Pennsylvania’s 222. However, some historians suggest that Ohio once led the nation in the number of standing covered bridges, according to a new book called Covered Bridges.

Wood is a co-author of the book with David Simmons. Scenic photographer Bill Miller captured all of Ohio’s remaining bridges, as well as, Kentucky’s 13 and West Virginia’s 17, which are also included in the book.

A love for bridges
Wood said her love for covered bridges is something that’s unexplainable. As a preschooler during the Great Depression, she took a car ride with her family. Her father noticed that the road was closed ahead. Being curious, Miriam’s grandfather, father and Miriam all got out of the car. She was looking at her first covered bridge. “It just fascinated me,” she said.

Miller, best known for capturing all of Ohio’s 88 Bicentennial Barns in 2003, developed his appreciation for covered bridges while taking photos for the Covered Bridges book. “The project took me from the shores of Lake Erie, to the rolling hills of southeast Ohio, to the banks of the Ohio River, and to the farmland of northwest Ohio,” he said.

Miller stood in freezing waters, balanced himself on makeshift boats and climbed trees to get the perfect shot. “I will admit, I’m a perfectionist,” he said. “I shoot all slide film and work off of natural light, so a lot of the bridges in the book have been revisited four to five times, so I could get the perfect look.” Miller said he worked on the book for more than five years.

Why wooden and covered?
When you study a covered bridge, it’s apparent that the materials used in the 1820s were a lot different than what we find today in building supply stores. Farmers sold timber right off their land.

Back then, there was no such thing as a general contractor. The bridge builders were considered careful artisans who were able to use the tree-sized timbers they’d been given.

Despite a wealth of creative folklore explanations about why the bridges were built covered, Wood and Simmons say there is really only one reason – to protect the essential timber framing. Left exposed to the elements, a wooden bridge might last a decade. With a covering, many are more than 100 years old, and there are some that are on their way to a second century.

According to Covered Bridges, the history of the bridges traces back to 14th century central Europe, specifically, Switzerland. In America, countless streams and valleys had to be bridged to create a modern transportation system capable of sustaining a productive economy. Wood said records and old county commissioner journals reveal covered bridges were becoming a great necessity in the 1920s and 1930s and that money was being spent to build them. Historians estimate Ohio had more than 2,000 covered bridges before 1920.

Shortly after the Civil War ended in 1865, the building of covered bridges seemed to taper off, according to Wood. “The iron and steel industries were beginning to rise,” she said. “Newer, more modern-looking bridges that were much more expensive were being built.” Wood said some people during that time were even ashamed of the covered bridges and began to tear them down little by little.

In 1960 the Ohio Historic Bridge Association was founded, and Wood was on board with it. “We began sending out resolutions and asking those who wanted to tear the bridges down ‘Isn’t there something else you can do?’” Wood presently serves as corresponding secretary of the association. Covered Bridges co-author Simmons serves as president.

Rebirth
Some of Ohio’s County Engineers have taken an interest in building new covered bridges as tourist attractions, while others are interested in preserving what’s already there. “The covered bridges are important because they are part of our existing transportation system, and they represent a heritage of ours,” said Steve Stolte, Union County Engineer. Stolte announced plans to build two additional covered bridges in Union County that are scheduled for completion in May, bringing the county’s total to six.

Before Stolte, former Ashtabula County Engineer John Smolen convinced other county officials of the tourist value of restoring their dozen historic, 19th century covered bridges and maintaining them as vital components of the county highway system. According to Wood, Smolen did much of his own design work and gained experience in restoration techniques while adapting modern construction methods for use with wooden trusses. In a county that receives record snowfalls every year, the construction of a new wooden bridge, which is unaffected by de-icing chemicals, became more appealing. Smolen built his first new wooden truss covered bridge in 1983 and three more after that.

Wood said Ashtabula County will someday be home to the longest covered bridge in the country. Measuring approximately 600 feet, the bridge will surpass New Hampshire’s Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, which presently holds the title for length.

Both Ashtabula and Fairfield Counties have 16 covered bridges each, the most of any other counties.

“Ohio is so unique with its covered bridges,” Miller said. “There are a lot of people out there who will want to visit the bridges one by one, because it gives them a chance to see Ohio’s beauty from the back roads.”

Emily Masters is a freelance writer from Warren County.

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